Q. My brother and I have bought a flat together in central London. It was expensive but we will save a fortune over time through not having to take taxis. Now we are in our new pristine flat we realise we don’t want whatever there is on London pavements being tramped through it, so we take our shoes off at the door. Male friends seem happy to slip their footwear off, but girls who have come in high heels don’t want to take them off. My mother says it’s because they are worried about their legs ‘looking stumpy’ but whatever, they really don’t seem able to relax without them. What should I do? The plastic surgical overshoes you have recommended in the past don’t work with heels.
– Name withheld, London SW1
A. You are right but a wonderful alternative now exists for high shoe wearers. Polyester waterproof rain boots – from Vicedeal – costing £13.39 per pair – will zip on over a woman’s existing high shoes. They come in pleasingly lurid colours. You might invest in a few pairs. In this way your female friends can retain their sense of superiority while visiting you in your flat.
Q. My son has invited some young English friends to stay. My problem is that English people often leave on the air-conditioning in their bedrooms when they go out, even for the whole day. Worse, they sometimes leave it on and the bedroom windows open. How can I, without seeming bossy, check they have turned it off?
– F. O’S., Charleston, S. Carolina
A. Carry a fresh jug of small flowers up to each suspect bedroom twice a day. This will explain your incursions and you can gush pleasantly next time you see an offender: ‘I turned your air con off for you!’ They will quickly learn.
Q. In the past few years, I have made a real effort to host dinner parties with guests across the generations. My children and their peers are now at the age where they can be charming conversationalists and welcome additions at the table. The problem is they feel compelled to check their phones throughout dinner, even just to read one text message. Often, the compulsion spreads like wildfire to the older guests who begin to check their own… How can I ensure the outside world doesn’t invade my dinner party without coming across as a heavy-handed host?
– F.R., London W10
A. You can create a phone park. Customise a toast rack to hold everyone’s phone reassuringly visible, but out of reach. Thus each guest shares the responsibility of keeping the phones at bay. As with smoking, if the phone is not in their grasp, they are far less tempted.
Write to Dear Mary at dearmary@spectator.co.uk
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